Soyuz 5 launched 1969

Soyuz 5 crew (L-R): Boris Volynov, Yevgeny Khrunov, Aleksei Yeliseyev

Soyuz 5 mission patch

Soyuz 5, launched January 15, 1969, participated in the first docking between two manned spacecraft.  Its crew consisted of Commander Boris Volynov, Flight Engineer Aleksei Yeliseyev and Research Engineer Yevgeny Khrunov.

The following day Soyuz 5 successfully docked with Soyuz 4, and crew members Yeliseyev and Khrunov transferred to Soyuz 4 for re-entry.

Volynov remained in Soyuz 5.  Upon return, the service module did not separate  when the retrorockets fired.  It was too late to abort and the module turned to find the best aerodynamic position available, which was nose first.  Basically, upside down.  Volynov was pressed against his restraining harness instead of the cushions of his seat.

Fortunately, the struts connecting the service module and descent module burned through before the hatch did, and the modules separated.  The lander corrected its position, with the heat shield taking the friction of re-entry.

Then the parachutes got tangled and the soft-landing rockets failed to fire, resulting in a hard landing, which broke several of Volynov's teeth.  The temperature was about 40° below zero and Volynov knew it would be hours before the rescue units would find him, so he left the capsule and walked several kilometers to find shelter at a local peasant's house.

Volynov did not go into space for another 7 years.